John Ratzenberger

John Ratzenberger

occupation

John Deszo Ratzenberger (born April 6, 1947)[1] is an American actor, voice actor, entrepreneur, and leading advocate for skilled worker shortage crisis. He is best known for his role as Cliff Clavin in Cheers.

Ratzenberger's work for Pixar, as well as his parts in Superman and The Empire Strikes Back, makes him the 4th most successful actor of all time, as measured by a total box office of over $3,000,000,000.[5]

Cheers

Ratzenberger is well known for playing mail carrier Cliff Clavin on the sitcom Cheers. He had read for the part of Norm Peterson, but after the audition, he could tell they weren't going to give him the part. Sensing an opportunity, he asked if they had written a bar know-it-all, which the producers decided was a great idea.[6] Cliff became known for his outlandish stories of plausible half-truths, irrelevant trivia, and ignorant misinformation, and was known for being an overall pretentious blowhard. Cliff and Norm, the primary customer characters, became iconic bar buddies. Ratzenberger provided the voice for an animated version of Cliff on The Simpsons 6th season episode "Fear of Flying".

When Paramount Television licensed the look of the Cheers bar to the Host International subsidiary of Host Marriott Services for use in airports in the U.S. and New Zealand, the group also created animatronic barflies. They were called "Hank" and "Bob"; Ratzenberger and George Wendt claimed Hank and Bob resembled them, and in January 1993 sued Host for using their likenesses without permission.[7] The case languished in court for eight years before all sides settled in 2001.[8]

He also voiced the bathhouse's assistant manager, Ao-gaeru, in the English dub of Spirited Away, a film whose U.S. executive producer was Pixar's John Lasseter.

Ratzenberger had the chance to make fun of his tenure at Pixar during the end credits of Cars, where his character, Mack, watches car-themed versions of Pixar movies ("Toy Car Story", "Monster Trucks, Inc.", and "A Bug's Life"), notes that all the characters Ratzenberger has played were excellent, until he realizes that they're the same actor, at which point he remarks, "They're just using the same actor over and over. What kind of cut-rate production is this?"

Ratzenberger's favorite of his Pixar characters was P.T. Flea, because "in real life I always get a kick out of those kinds of characters, people who just go into a rage for [no] explicable reason. He was always on edge. His blood pressure was always way over the top, and everything that he did was done in a panicked state. So it was a lot of fun to play him."[4]

Ratzenberger is currently in pre-production with a new documentary, “Industrial Tsunami,” whose purpose is to wake up Americans to the shortage of skilled workers that threatens the existence of companies and entire industries.

Entrepreneur, Skilled Labor Shortage Advocate, Philanthropist

Ratzenberger developed a packaging-alternatives product made from biodegradable and non-toxic recycled paper as a safe alternative to styrofoam "peanuts" and plastic bubble wrap and then sold the Eco-Pak Company.[13]

Ratzenberger co-authored We've Got it Made in America: A Common Man's Salute to an Uncommon Country (ISBN 1-931722-84-6), published in 2006.

Ratzenberger co-founded the Nuts, Bolts and Thingamajigs Foundation,[14] dedicated to raising awareness of skilled trades and engineering disciplines among young people.[15]

In 2010, Ratzenberger became affiliated with and now represents the Foundation for Fair Civil Justice to further develop his work and increase awareness about the skilled worker shortage facing the United States and the changes needed to positively impact and increase the number of skilled workers.[16] He joined the Foundation for Fair Civil Justice, as a Board Member in 2010. www.foundationforfairciviljustice.org. [17]] "The Foundation for Fair Civil Justice (FFCJ) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization. Our mission is to educate, motivate and empower the American people to understand they have the greatest stake in removing obstacles to a fair civil justice system, innovation, entrepreneurism, and job creation.
FFCJ creates multi-media educational programs, publications and website features that reach millions of Americans through radio, television and the internet. "[18]

Ratzenberger is also on the University Board at Pepperdine University and the Board of Directors at Sacred Heart University.